Dive Brief:

• La-Z-Boy named actress Kristen Bell as its new brand ambassador, according to a press release shared with Marketing Dive. Bell replaces actress Brooke Shields in this role, who had been the brand ambassador since 2010. 
• Bell stars in a humorous relaunch of the company's "Live Life Comfortably" campaign, intended to highlight the brand's other furniture beyond the recliner. In 2017, Bell and husband Dax Shepard playfully argued across social media about where to place the family’s La-Z-Boy recliner. After what she called "the great La-Z-Boy debate,” Bell said in a statement that she was "surprised" to learn the company offered more than recliners.
• The campaign offers content for TV, digital, print, in-store and social media, including two national TV spots and five digital spots that were produced by an all-female creative and production team.

Dive Insight:

"Veronica Mars" is now tackling the mystery of how La-Z-Boy can expand its brand image beyond its popular recliner. To move beyond the image of a father or grandfather in its iconic recliner, La-Z-Boy has tapped a millennial actress that might better resonate with a younger audience than previous brand ambassador Shields. The TV spots and digital videos that are part of the campaign could help reach the 85% of millennials that have purchased a product after watching a video.

Aside from that injection of a younger sensibility into the brand’s image, Bell's selection also draws on the La-Z-Boy pseudo-fight with her husband, who wanted their recliner to reside in the center of the family living room. Although that argument was resolved by moving the chair in question into the attic, it led to a phone call from La-Z-Boy. By spinning off from an Instagram post that has more than 100,000 likes (Bell has more than 10 million followers), La-Z-Boy could benefit from the star's social media relevance.

While most millennials aren't influenced by celebrity endorsements, brands continue to use the tried-and-true tactic. The key factors for a successful partnership are authenticity, trustworthiness, brand match, and celebrity recognition, according to a Spotted analysis that pointed to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Under Armour as the strongest brand ambassadorship. In that way, pairing the affable Bell — half of a celebrity marriage often lauded in the media for being down-to-earth  — with a furniture brand looking to find younger consumers could be a good fit.

This is not Bell’s first stint as a brand spokesperson. Last summer, she was featured in the first national ad campaign for sparkling water brand Spindrift, which also took a humorous approach. In addition, Walmart this year became the exclusive retailer for Hello Bello, the baby products line founded by her and Shepard.